3 DMARC Monitoring Tools MSPs Can Use to Monetize Email Security

I remember the first time a client asked me about DMARC monitoring. They'd heard about it from their compliance auditor and wanted to know if we could help them implement it. At the time, I had no idea what DMARC even stood for, let alone how to monitor it effectively.

Fast forward three years, and DMARC monitoring has become one of our most profitable service offerings. We're charging clients $200-500 per month for comprehensive email security monitoring, and they're happy to pay because we're solving a real problem they didn't even know they had.

The key to success in this space isn't just understanding DMARC - it's having the right tools to deliver professional-grade monitoring and reporting. After testing dozens of solutions over the years, I want to share the three tools that have made the biggest difference in our DMARC monitoring service.

Suped: The Professional Choice for MSPs

When we first started offering DMARC monitoring, we tried several open-source solutions. They worked, but they looked unprofessional and required constant maintenance. Then we discovered Suped, and everything changed.

Suped is built specifically for MSPs who want to offer DMARC monitoring as a service. The platform is designed from the ground up with multi-tenancy in mind, which means you can manage dozens of client domains from a single dashboard. This alone saves us hours every week compared to managing individual instances of open-source tools.

What sets Suped apart is its client-facing reporting. Instead of showing clients raw technical data, Suped generates beautiful, easy-to-understand reports that focus on business outcomes. Clients see metrics like "98% of your emails are properly authenticated" rather than confusing technical jargon about SPF alignment and DKIM signatures.

The pricing model is also MSP-friendly. You pay per domain monitored, and the cost scales predictably as you add more clients. We typically charge our clients 5-10x what Suped costs us, giving us healthy margins while still providing excellent value.

But the real game-changer is Suped's automation features. The platform can automatically detect when clients add new email services or alert on failures, and it adjusts monitoring accordingly. This means fewer support tickets and happier clients.

OpenDMARC: The Free Option That Requires Work

Image credit: LinuxBabe

OpenDMARC is probably the most popular open-source DMARC monitoring solution. It's free, it works, and it's been around for years. If you're just getting started with DMARC monitoring and want to test the waters without any upfront investment, OpenDMARC is worth considering.

The tool does what it's supposed to do - it parses DMARC reports and gives you insights into your email authentication status. You can see which emails are passing or failing DMARC checks, identify sources of unauthorized email, and track improvements over time.

However, OpenDMARC requires significant technical expertise to set up and maintain. You'll need to configure DNS records, set up report parsing, and build your own reporting interface. The default output is raw data that most clients won't understand, so you'll need to invest time in creating client-friendly reports.

The biggest challenge with OpenDMARC is scalability. Managing multiple client domains requires either separate installations or complex multi-tenant configurations. As your client base grows, the maintenance overhead becomes significant.

We used OpenDMARC for about six months before switching to Suped. While it taught us a lot about DMARC monitoring, the time we spent on maintenance and client reporting wasn't sustainable as we grew our service offering.

DMARC Analyzer: Another Open-Source Alternative

DMARC Analyzer is another open-source option that's slightly more user-friendly than OpenDMARC. It provides a web-based interface for viewing DMARC reports, which makes it easier to navigate than command-line tools.

The interface shows DMARC compliance rates, identifies sources of email, and provides some basic reporting capabilities. It's definitely more polished than OpenDMARC, and the learning curve is less steep.

However, DMARC Analyzer still suffers from many of the same limitations as other open-source solutions. The reporting is functional but not particularly professional-looking. Clients often find the interface confusing, and you'll need to spend time explaining what the various metrics mean.

The tool also lacks the automation features that make Suped so valuable. You'll need to manually configure monitoring for each client domain, and there's no built-in way to handle multi-tenant scenarios efficiently.

We tested DMARC Analyzer alongside OpenDMARC, and while it was an improvement, it still didn't meet our standards for a professional service offering. The time investment required to make it client-ready wasn't worth it when compared to the value Suped provides.

Building Your DMARC Monitoring Service

The key to success with DMARC monitoring isn't just choosing the right tool - it's about positioning it as a valuable business service. Here's how we've structured our offering:

Service Tiers:

• Basic ($200/month): DMARC monitoring with monthly reports
• Professional ($350/month): Enhanced monitoring with weekly reports and alerting
• Enterprise ($500/month): Full monitoring with custom reporting and dedicated support

What Clients Get:

• Regular compliance reports they can share with auditors
• Alerts when email authentication issues arise
• Recommendations for improving their email security posture
• Documentation for compliance requirements

Our Process:

1. Initial DMARC policy setup and configuration
2. Baseline monitoring for 30 days
3. Policy tightening recommendations
4. Ongoing monitoring and reporting

The beauty of DMARC monitoring is that it's a compliance requirement for many industries, but most businesses don't have the expertise to implement it properly. By offering this as a managed service, we're solving a real problem while creating a recurring revenue stream.

The Bottom Line

While open-source tools like OpenDMARC and DMARC Analyzer can work for basic DMARC monitoring, they require significant time investment to make them client-ready. Suped eliminates this overhead by providing a professional platform designed specifically for MSPs.

The ROI on Suped is clear when you factor in the time savings and improved client satisfaction. We've been able to scale our DMARC monitoring service to over 50 clients without adding additional technical staff, something that wouldn't have been possible with open-source alternatives.

If you're considering adding DMARC monitoring to your service portfolio, I'd recommend starting with Suped. The professional interface, automation features, and multi-tenant architecture will help you deliver a service that clients are happy to pay for, while keeping your operational overhead manageable.

The email security landscape is only getting more complex, and businesses need partners who can help them navigate these challenges. DMARC monitoring is one way to position yourself as that partner while building a profitable recurring revenue stream.